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Brian Shoemaker
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Gamecock Nation Today
Helping You Be The Ultimate Gamecock Fan
Thursday, February 7, 2019
Good morning! Welcome to the first edition of Gamecock Nation Today, our new daily newsletter. After reading (or skimming) it, please...
- Send us your suggestions
- Spread the word by forwarding it to your friends
Thank you from the Gamecock Central Crew!
1. The lead: Gamecocks add pair of 4-stars on signing day
In the second year of college football sporting two signing days (one in December, one the traditional date in February), South Carolina nabbed commitments and signings from two defensive prospects on Wednesday who will help Will Muschamp continue to rebuild the program.
2. No surprises? No problem.
When it comes to February’s national signing day, drama free is the way you want to be. Perhaps some excitement was lost this year for Gamecock fans due to the fact that there is no longer just one signing day in February, and because the vast majority of the class was already locked up heading into Wednesday.
As South Carolina continues to see its recruiting efforts rise, there will likely be more and more big-time recruiting battles, some of which may go down to the wire and some of which may ultimately go against the Gamecocks.
In terms of this class, perhaps it would have been more exciting if, say, Ryan Hilinski and Zacch Pickens pulled out a Gamecock hat on national TV and created a bunch of buzz. But Carolina fans can take comfort in the fact that both made early decisions, were January enrollees, and are already on campus working out with the team instead of sitting at an announcement table with ESPN cameras in front of them.
3. Star rankings on the rise
Will Muschamp's 2019 recruiting class for the Gamecocks is the best yet under his leadership, and is rivaled by only a few in history in quality.
GamecockCentral.com spoke with Rivals.com’s National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell in addition to several regional recruiting analysts to get their thoughts on USC’s 2019 haul…
- Football: Few key defenders will miss spring practice, update on Eldridge Thompson. The Gamecocks are roughly three weeks away from starting spring practice and, when they do, they'll be without a few key players. (link)
- Football Recruiting: Muschamp breaks down new signees. The Gamecocks signed four recruits Wednesday to cap the 2019 class. Will Muschamp offers his thoughts about each. (link)
- Football Recruiting: Video of Will Muschamp's press conference. Muschamp talks about the 2019 recruiting class and much more. (link)
- Men's Tennis. The Gamecocks defeated Presbyterian, 7-0, to improve their record to 5-1.
- Women's Tennis. Silvia Chinellato was named SEC Women's Player of the Week.
- Football Recruiting. Even more signing day items:
February 7, 1970. In a game that Clemson coach Bobby Roberts called "my worst defeat all the way back to grade school," the 1969-70 Gamecocks whipped the Tigers by 47, the largest margin of victory ever over Clemson. Among Gamecocks in double figures were John Roche (25), Tom Owens (22), Tom Riker (18) and Bobby Cremins (16). (via gamecockarchives.com)
8. Around Gamecock Nation
9. Gamecock Nation Celebrations
Birthday: Bo Davies. Football letterman (1969-71). Member of 1969 ACC Championship team. Tied for school interceptions record with 14. Inducted into USC Athletic Hall of Fame (2016).
Gamecock Central birthdays: @Alum2k10, @bloody spur, @dskcock, @linkthree, @mbeazy4
If you have a Gamecock Central account (free or pay), you can add your birthday here.
10. Key Dates
Today: Softball season begins
Feb. 15: Baseball season begins
Feb. 27: Spring football practice begins
April 6: Spring football game
April 25-27: NFL Draft
Sept. 1: Football season begins
Did we miss something? shoe@gamecockcentral.com
We have breaking news alerts and more newsletters: customize preferences
Spread the word about the Gamecocks and this newsletter! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend or two. If you were forwarded this newsletter, you can sign up here to start receiving your own copy.
Gamecock Central emails a new Gamecock Nation Today newsletter each weekday morning. To get your free copy, sign up for our email list.
========
Gamecock Nation Today
Helping You Be The Ultimate Gamecock Fan
Thursday, February 7, 2019
Good morning! Welcome to the first edition of Gamecock Nation Today, our new daily newsletter. After reading (or skimming) it, please...
- Send us your suggestions
- Spread the word by forwarding it to your friends
Thank you from the Gamecock Central Crew!
1. The lead: Gamecocks add pair of 4-stars on signing day
In the second year of college football sporting two signing days (one in December, one the traditional date in February), South Carolina nabbed commitments and signings from two defensive prospects on Wednesday who will help Will Muschamp continue to rebuild the program.
- Jammie Robinson picked the Gamecocks (link) over Auburn, Kentucky, and Tennessee, among others. The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder could realistically factor in anywhere in the secondary, but is likely to play nickel or safety for the Gamecocks.
- Jaquaze Sorrells also announced for the Gamecocks (link) on Wednesday afternoon after pulling down offers from Alabama, Penn State, and multiple others. A former Florida commitment, Sorrells is a 6-foot-3, 298-pounder who participated in the Under Armour All-America Game and is ranked by Rivals.com as one of the best 250 prospects in the country.
- Two other Gamecock pledges, who were not commitments during the December signing period, put pen to paper: Defensive back Shilo Sanders (son of Deion Sanders) and offensive lineman William Rogers.
- The Gamecocks’ class also technically includes transfers Josh Belk, who played for USC last season, and Southern Cal transfer Jamel Cook. Both players counted forward to the 2019 recruiting class after enrolling last August.
- The finish for Carolina means the class is ranked No. 17 in the 2019 Rivals.com team recruiting rankings (link).
2. No surprises? No problem.
When it comes to February’s national signing day, drama free is the way you want to be. Perhaps some excitement was lost this year for Gamecock fans due to the fact that there is no longer just one signing day in February, and because the vast majority of the class was already locked up heading into Wednesday.
As South Carolina continues to see its recruiting efforts rise, there will likely be more and more big-time recruiting battles, some of which may go down to the wire and some of which may ultimately go against the Gamecocks.
In terms of this class, perhaps it would have been more exciting if, say, Ryan Hilinski and Zacch Pickens pulled out a Gamecock hat on national TV and created a bunch of buzz. But Carolina fans can take comfort in the fact that both made early decisions, were January enrollees, and are already on campus working out with the team instead of sitting at an announcement table with ESPN cameras in front of them.
3. Star rankings on the rise
Will Muschamp's 2019 recruiting class for the Gamecocks is the best yet under his leadership, and is rivaled by only a few in history in quality.
- This new crop of Gamecocks average a 3.39 star ranking. The group includes Will Muschamp's first five-star signee in Zacch Pickens and another top-50 player in four-star QB Ryan Hilinski and is the highest so far during his tenure. Note: We did not include junior college prospect Jahkeem Green, who did not sign on Wednesday, in our calculations.
- Only two classes in the Rivals.com era will best this one in terms of average-star ranking: The 2007 class, ranked sixth overall nationally, and the 2014 crop, which carried a 3.48 average-star ranking. In hindsight, the 2007 group certainly carried a higher quality of players than the 2014 cycle.
- Rivals.com's team-rankings formula was reimagined in 2013 in favor of a more easy-to-calculate, sensible method. Rivals has ranked prospects and recruiting classes since 2002.
GamecockCentral.com spoke with Rivals.com’s National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell in addition to several regional recruiting analysts to get their thoughts on USC’s 2019 haul…
- "The momentum South Carolina is building is becoming more and more obvious. Winning the battle for Jaquaze Sorrells is notable, as his list of suitors was long, and landing him will make the Gamecocks even more attractive.” – Rob Cassidy
- "They did a good job rebuilding in the trenches. Of course, that’s an area that we’ve seen South Carolina need to rebuild over the next few years. I like what they did on the offensive line.” – Adam Friedman
- “This is a very good South Carolina class. Obviously there are the headliners like Pickens and Hilinski but I also like the depth at certain positions and the job they did recruiting the offensive and defensive line. That will pay dividends in the long run, for sure.” – Mike Farrell
- Football: Few key defenders will miss spring practice, update on Eldridge Thompson. The Gamecocks are roughly three weeks away from starting spring practice and, when they do, they'll be without a few key players. (link)
- Football Recruiting: Muschamp breaks down new signees. The Gamecocks signed four recruits Wednesday to cap the 2019 class. Will Muschamp offers his thoughts about each. (link)
- Football Recruiting: Video of Will Muschamp's press conference. Muschamp talks about the 2019 recruiting class and much more. (link)
- Men's Tennis. The Gamecocks defeated Presbyterian, 7-0, to improve their record to 5-1.
- Women's Tennis. Silvia Chinellato was named SEC Women's Player of the Week.
- Football Recruiting. Even more signing day items:
- Gamecock Central NSD HQ
- NSD capsule: Shilo Sanders
- NSD capsule: Jammie Robinson
- NSD capsule: Jaquaze Sorrells
- NSD capsule: William Rogers
- The No. 9 softball team is in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to start the season. The Gamecocks are playing a doubleheader today. Game 1 is against BYU and begins at 11 a.m. Game 2 is against Baylor and begins at 1:30 p.m.
- 2:45 p.m. - The baseball team scrimmages.
- 7 p.m. - Carolina Calls featuring men's basketball coach Frank Martin.
- 7 p.m. - The women's basketball team hosts Ole Miss. The game will be on SEC Network+. Pregame, the 2017-18 team will be honored for winning the 2018 SEC Tournament. A banner will be unveiled and the team will receive rings.
February 7, 1970. In a game that Clemson coach Bobby Roberts called "my worst defeat all the way back to grade school," the 1969-70 Gamecocks whipped the Tigers by 47, the largest margin of victory ever over Clemson. Among Gamecocks in double figures were John Roche (25), Tom Owens (22), Tom Riker (18) and Bobby Cremins (16). (via gamecockarchives.com)
8. Around Gamecock Nation
- Today, 12-1 p.m. - On 107.5 The Game in Columbia, Chris Clark of Gamecock Central will be in studio with host Pearson Fowler
- Today, 5:30 p.m. - Welcome to Greenville New Grad Happy Hour (link)
- Feb. 14 - "Date Night" at the women's basketball game (link)
- Feb. 24 - Charleston Gamecock Club Oyster Roast (link)
9. Gamecock Nation Celebrations
Birthday: Bo Davies. Football letterman (1969-71). Member of 1969 ACC Championship team. Tied for school interceptions record with 14. Inducted into USC Athletic Hall of Fame (2016).
Gamecock Central birthdays: @Alum2k10, @bloody spur, @dskcock, @linkthree, @mbeazy4
If you have a Gamecock Central account (free or pay), you can add your birthday here.
10. Key Dates
Today: Softball season begins
Feb. 15: Baseball season begins
Feb. 27: Spring football practice begins
April 6: Spring football game
April 25-27: NFL Draft
Sept. 1: Football season begins
Did we miss something? shoe@gamecockcentral.com
We have breaking news alerts and more newsletters: customize preferences
Spread the word about the Gamecocks and this newsletter! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend or two. If you were forwarded this newsletter, you can sign up here to start receiving your own copy.
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